


My Sapphire Saviour

by Crescent_Quill (The_Queen_of_France_and_Her_Empire)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Merpeole, Angst, Drowning, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, John has a little drowning habit, M/M, Memories, Mermaid Transformation, Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, Recovering Memories, Sailor John Laurens, Shipwrecks, Storms, Transformation, Tsunamis, Underwater, Underwater Intimacy, almost forgot, mermaid lafayette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25905472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Queen_of_France_and_Her_Empire/pseuds/Crescent_Quill
Summary: "John was losing but he was still fighting to survive despite the odds when he was faced with as a flash of sapphire and the glimmerings of gold darted across his spotted vision. Something was coming through the water towards him, though it moved for him to make out exactly what. Soon a pair of strong arms had found him, one wrapping around his waist and the other cradling the back of his head.It's an angel, then... Come to take me away, have you? I just hope you're handsome..."
Relationships: John Laurens/Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	My Sapphire Saviour

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a little self-indulgent birthday gift to myself, and it turns out I was able to finish it just in time for my actual birthday!  
> It's a little sweet, a little angsty, and a little cliche but I hope you can enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, mes amies!

John sighed as he leaned back against the mast and turned his gaze to the sky. He was on the night shift and supposed to be keeping watch for any dangers that would threaten the wellbeing of The Albatross or her crew, but the wind was cool against his face and the glittering stream of the milky way simply glorious compared to the slow rolling of the waves.

The sails of the brigantine billowed in the sea breeze and the young sailor closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, grinning as his tongue met the salty taste of the air. He may have been bored out of his mind, but he still loved the ocean more than anything else. Being out on the waters he felt at home. If there was one thing John wished for more than anything it'd be to have a ship of his own where he could spend the rest of his days sailing all the seas the world had to offer.

It was an ambitious dream, there was no doubt about that, but if he could manage to achieve he'd be the happiest man alive.

John pushed himself up off the mast with a laugh, rushing to the starboard side of the ship to climb up on the ropes and relished in the way the sea breeze picked up his golden-brown curls and the salty mist that sprayed his face. He opened his eyes to gaze out over the waters he loved, but his overjoyed expression soon shifted to a frown of confusion at the sight he was met with.

It was well into the middle of the night by this point but the moon was large in the sky and hovered just above the thin line between the sky and the ocean. The young sailor furrowed his brow as he squinted and leaned forwards to try and make sense of what he was seeing, only to gasp as the pieces finally clicked into place.

He lept from the ropes and onto the deck of the ship once more, dashing for the ship's bell and ringing it as loudly as he could manage in his alarum.

"Everybody up, we got a tsunami! Get up, there's a tsunami!!" He called out, only letting the brass shell fall quiet once the rest of the crew began to emerge from their bunks below deck and the captain burst forth from her quarters.

"Collect the sails, batten down the hatches!! We need to turn the ship into the wave, it's the only way!" She ordered, her shouts springing the crew into action as she gave the young sailor a curt nod of approval.

John was quick rushing to the foremast and quicker to scale the ropes to make it to the topsail. He would save this ship, even if it meant fighting on the frontlines against the wrath of the ocean. He only spared a starboard glance as he was tightening the knots to keep the thick canvas in place, and his body froze at the sight.

Perched upon the top foremast the wall of water still towered over him, filling his veins with freezing adrenaline as the brigantine began to turn to face the great wave.

A call from below was the only thing to pull John's wide-eyed stare away from the wall of water rushing towards the ship, and he looked down to see another sailor wildly motioning for him to get down before it was too late.

Clambering chaos had broken out on the main deck as the crew rushed for something to brace themselves against the wave and the young sailor climbed the ropes as quickly as his body would allow him to move.

He wasn't fast enough.

The wall of water slammed down on John's back, jerking him forwards and knocking the wind out of his chest as the brigantine came up against Poseidon's overwhelming strength. He clung to the ropes for dear life, his knuckles turning white in his fight to keep himself from being swept away.

The young sailor's lungs were burning and his heart was pounding in his throat, but without a break in the wave to find a last breath of stamina his grip on the ropes slipped and he lost the battle to the torrent of water around him.

John tried to swim up to find the ship, a breath, the sky, or something that could give him even the tiniest bit of hope but as he was tossed around by the raging currents he could no longer tell which way up was.

His lungs were burning and he couldn't stop the way his body lurched for breath only to take in a mouthful of seawater. John thrashed against the current, gasping, reaching, grasping in a desperate search for something other than the suffocating depths as he coughed and sputtered only to add fuel to the fire in his lungs.

John was losing but he was still fighting to survive despite the odds when he was faced with as a flash of sapphire and the glimmerings of gold darted across his spotted vision. Something was coming through the water towards him, though it moved for him to make out exactly what. Soon a pair of strong arms had found him, one wrapping around his waist and the other cradling the back of his head.

_It's an angel, then... Come to take me away, have you? I just hope you're handsome..._

The young sailor was beginning to give in to his fate and fall into an everlasting sleep when he felt something press against his lips and breathe life back into his lungs. John parted his lips at the feeling, grateful to accept the second chance as he held onto his saviour's arm and shoulder with the last of his strength before currents shifted around him.

He let himself slip into unconsciousness as his guardian angel carried him through the current.

* * *

_"My heart is pierced by Cupid,_

_I disdain all glittering gold,"_

John began to awake to the sound of a soulful melody being carried by an angelic voice, and for a moment he thought he was in heaven until he was met with the sharp, aching pains all throughout his body as he tried to move. _Nope, this definitely isn't heaven... Where the hell am I?_ He could feel that he was laying on something hard with something heavy draped over his back, but other than that he had no clues where he was.

_"There is nothing can console me,_

_Like my jolly sailor bold."_

He felt lucky to have such a beautiful voice singing to him and soothing his tired soul, or else he might have started to cry in his agony. There was no doubt trying to go up against a tsunami had battered and beaten his body and would've killed him had it not been for his mysterious sapphire saviour. He assumed that whoever had saved him was now the one singing to him.

_"Come all ye pretty fair maids,_

_Where ever you may be,"_

John kept his focus on the song and breathing in time with the beat in an attempt to calm himself. The small action helped more than he imagined it would because next, he was able to open his eyes. He couldn't move his head much to take in the entirety of the space, but he could see that he was laid down on blue-grey stone shelf next to a pool of water and the thick canvas of a torn sail was laid over him like a blanket.

_"Love a jolly sailor bold,_

_Who ploughs the raging sea."_

The young sailor sucked in a deep breath and then forced himself to move, gritting his teeth through the pain as he started to push himself up with his arms, only to stop when a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder and the voice paused its song to shush him and help guide him into a better position.

_"His hair does hang in ringlets,_

_His eyes as black as coals,"_

Usually, John would've tried to push away someone away if they tried to help him, but maybe he was just in too much pain because he was having a hard time thinking through the fog that had settled in his tired mind as he closed his eyes for a moment and allowed the hand to help sit him up against a smooth stalagmite.

_"My happiness is with him,_

_Wherever he may go."_

After letting out a long sigh the young sailor opened his eyes again, first turning his gaze upwards. There was a hole in the cavern's ceiling where he could see the red sky of dawn, and he winced a bit at the harsh colour before letting his gaze travel downwards and off to his side in search of the source of the voice, but he could never have guessed who- Or what- was in the cavern with him.

_"My heart is pierced by Cupid,_

_I disdain all glittering gold,"_

Laid across the stone barely a foot away was a long, fish-like tail with an elegantly fanning fluke slowly swaying where it was dipped in the pool. It was a deep blue that shivered like sapphires and it was accented by a myriad of golden scales that glinted in the early morning light. He immediately flashed back to the exact same shades he saw swimming against the current to get to him before he blacked out. He followed the length of the tail to soon find the scales melted into the toned upper body of a man.

_"There is nothing can console me,_

_Like my jolly sailor bold..."_

John could've sworn he had woken up in some kind of fairy tale because now he had locked eyes with an honest to god merman that was smiling down at him. He had heard the stories before, any sailor worth their salt knew the stories about the half-fish, half-human creatures that would try to lure innocent sailors to their watery doom, but he never thought they were real. _I never thought they could be this gorgeous..._

"You... I saw you. Last night, when I got thrown overboard by that wave," The young sailor begins, his voice made dry and scratchy by swallowed salt water, "I thought you were some kind of angel."

"Well, I am sorry if I do not live up to your expectations," The merman replied with a laugh that sounded like the golden chimes of wedding bells, "But I am glad to see you awake, John... For a moment there I thought I had been too late."

John smiled in response, flattered by how kind the beautiful creature was before something made him pause, "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"... I was afraid you would not remember me." The merman sighed, gaze falling to the cool floor of the cavern as a sad smile makes its way onto his expression, "Though, I suppose it was a very long time ago now."

"What are you talking about?"

John received no answer this time from the beautiful creature, he only shook his head as he slid forwards and pressed a soft kiss to the young sailor's forehead before slipping into the water.

The action felt so familiar to the young sailor yet he was sure he'd never seen the merman before. _Then why is my heart pounding like this?_ He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes as he wracked his brain and searched his memories for answers before the gentle splashing of water pulled him from his thoughts.

"This will help explain some things," The merman murmured, holding out his closed fist.

John held out his palm to accept the item, fumbling a little as it fell into his grasp. It was a gold locket with delicate engravings and a small, blue gemstone set into the centre and attached to a golden chain. Pressing at the little clasp on the side to open the pendant the young sailor saw the message _For Lafayette, my Sapphire Saviour_ engraved on one of the sides and a tightly folded piece of paper resting on the other.

He took the paper, finding it to be completely dry, and began unfolding it to find it was a drawing of himself and another man that bore a striking resemblance to the merman except for the fact that he was human. In the drawing they were both smiling, John's arm wrapped around the other's shoulder and the mystery man's arm wrapped around his waist.

"I... I don't understand." He mutters in response, looking between the locket and the drawing as he felt his heartstrings pulling in his chest for unknown reasons. He hadn't even realized he was crying until the merman reached out to carefully wipe away his tears.

"That is us, from many, many years ago. I am Lafayette, though you always liked to call me Gilbert." Lafayette explained, looking at the image over John's shoulder with a sad smile, "We lived on a small schooner together, taking odd jobs and running errands for others to make ends meet. You saved up for nearly a whole year so you could give this to me for my birthday."

The young sailor didn't know what to think anymore. There was no denying how his chest swelled to pull at his heartstrings nor the tears still falling from his eyes, but he had no idea why he was reacting this way, "Then why don't I remember you? Why aren't we-- Why are you like this?"

Lafayette simply hushed him as he shook his head, pulling John into his arms and carefully running a webbed hand through his golden-brown curls, "Your heart remembers, though your mind may not... You would not be reacting like this if you had truly forgotten."

Again the young sailor squeezed his eyes shut as he was struck with the same sense of familiarity from the merman's affections. He wracked his brain for answers, but again he came up with nothing. John frowned, opening his eyes again and looking to the drawing of him and Lafayette. They looked so happy together, and the locket so beautiful that he had to have meant something to him. _Why can't I just remember!?_

"Maybe you should rest, John..." The merman murmurs, taking back the locket and drawing and securing the paper in the golden pendant again, "You have been through a lot, and you do not need to be so hard on yourself."

"Yeah, okay... Sure," John murmured as he leaned back and Lafayette looped the golden chain around his neck, offering him a small smile, "I'm gonna keep trying to remember... I don't know how but I'm going to figure it out!"

"I know better to try and change your mind when you are so determined, my John..." The merman replied with a small yet nostalgic laugh as he helps the young sailor lie back down and drapes the canvas over his body again, "Just try to sleep first, alright?"

John nodded a bit with a small sigh, unable to bring himself to complain about being coddled when he was still trying to wrap his head around the connection he and Lafayette shared. The merman stayed by his side as he settled in the best he could on hard stone, humming a soft lullaby while patting his hand along to the beat as they young sailor's eyes grew heavy and he slowly slipped into a restless sleep.

* * *

_The sea was an endless expanse in front of them, it's glassy surface reflecting the brilliant pinks and oranges of the sky as they watched the sun slowly sink below the thin line of the horizon._

_"Thank you for making today wonderful, mon etoile."_

_"Well, the days not quite over yet, ***."_

_John paused for a moment, blinking as his body moved of its own accord to slip a hand in his pocket. The name he had said sounded like water rushing through his ears and felt like seafoam in his mouth._

_"Oh? Were you not quite satisfied with our little escapades earlier?" The other teased, his words making John laugh as he felt an arm wrap around his waist and playfully squeeze at his hip._

_"You know I'm always up for another round with you... But no, this isn't about that."_

_John pulled his hand from his pocket and open his palm to show the other what he was holding. It was a golden locket with a sapphire set into the centre and delicately engraved carvings all around._

_"John-- I don't know what to say, it's beautiful." The other took the necklace in his hand, his awe clear in his voice before he pressed a thankful kiss to John's forehead._

_"Happy birthday, ***... I love you."_

_John looked to the other with a warm smile, but he couldn't wrap his head around what he was seeing. The other was smiling back, he was sure of it, but his features were blotted out, dark and shapeless like spilled ink pooling on a page. Bile rose in his throat as he tried to understand, opening his mouth to speak again._

_"***...?"_

_"***...!"_

_"***!"_

**_"***!!"_ **

_John was screaming, desperate to make sense of his own voice as he began to cough up the saltwater and seafoam that had filled his chest. The waves lapping at the sandy shore a few feet away from him turned wicked and violent, rushing forwards in a sudden, wild mass to swallow him up and wash the inky figure away._

_The crashing waves around him he could barely make out the sounds of splintering wood and crashing thunder. The sky lit up with vicious strikes of lightning as the water pulled him down, down, down into the depths. Another man leapt into the water, swimming down towards and fighting against the savage currents._

_John reached out his hand, grasping through the waves as he screamed again._

**"Gil!!"**

The young sailor's voice cracked with the scream as he sat bolt upright, thrashing in his tangled canvas bedding until he was able to throw it aside. He gasped for breath, his shoulders shaking with terrified sobs as he murmured the name under his breath. "Gil... Gil, Gil, Gil..."

Lafayette must have heard his scream because soon he was rushing into the cavern again to leap up onto the rock next to him.

"John! John, are you okay? What happened?!" He asked, looking over the young sailor' for any injuries before he pulled him into his arms and hushed him in an attempt to calm him down.

"G-Gil... Gil, Gil. Who is Gil? Why was I-- Who was he?" John asked, his voice whimper as he gripped onto the merman's forearms to support himself and stop the shaking of his shoulders.

"I- John..." The merman murmured, his voice trailing off as he cradles the back of the young sailor's head and holds him close to his heart, "That is what you used to call me, John. You always said my full name is far too long, so you called me 'Gil' for short. Did you remember something? Is that why you were screaming?"

John could only nod in response as he hid his face in the crook of Lafayette's neck, feeling the golden chain of the locket brush against his cheek as the merman shifts his hold.

"Breathe, mon amour... It is okay, you are safe. I would not let anything happen to you." He reassured with a gentle kiss to the young sailor's forehead, giving him as much time as he needed to steady his breaths and calm his pounding heart.

Eventually, John was able to find it in himself to lift his head and explain what he dreamt- remembered? With the waters muddied like they were, it was hard for him to tell what was fact and what was fiction. Lafayette almost didn't know what to say, he was saddened yet overjoyed all at the same time. He was so close to having the love of his life back but there was still an ocean of distance between them.

"What does it all mean, Gil? I don't- I want to understand but I can't..."

"Your heart remembers, and it is trying to get your mind to remember too... What you saw was my birthday, and then the storm that took you away." The merman explained quietly, his gaze falling to trail along his own tail as he rippled the still waters of the pool with the elegant fan of his fluke, "Earlier you asked why I was like this, and I think now you deserve an explanation."

*~*~*~*~*~*

* * *

"I am worried, John... I have not seen the sky so red before. You know it is a warning from Mother Nature herself..."

"Relax, Gil. There's a good tailwind in the air, we'll be back in the harbour before you know it."

John offered the Frenchman a reassuring grin as they pushed off from the sandy shoal. They had found a pristine little island off the coast to dock at for the night, giving them both a chance to enjoy each other's company away from the rest of the world. It was a small gift to them both, though it had technically been Lafayette's birthday.

"If you are sure, mon amour." He muttered, offering the freckled sailor a hand to help him up onto the schooner out of the waist-deep water before he took his place up by the wheel.

Lafayette shook his head to himself as he watched his love pull the sails around so they'd catch in the wind and carry them home. He could not make himself continue worrying when John was smiling brighter than the sun and relishing in the sea breeze.

"I'm always sure, Gil, now c'mon," John replied as he leaned off the ropes to look back at the Frenchman, grinning more as he hopped back onto the deck and sat upon the rail by wheel and playfully puckered his lips, "Can I get one more kiss?"

The laugh Lafayette gave in response rung out like golden wedding bells. The freckled sailor was absolutely enamoured with the sound, his eyes shining as he received a peck on the cheek from the Frenchman.

The couple ended up laughing together as they sailed along, the wind cool on their faces and their shared joy glowing like a beacon.

Unfortunately, this was only the calm before the storm.

It all seemed to happen so fast. Their picturesque morning cruise had turned into a battle against the elements when the sky turned dark with thunder clouds and the waves became rough and the wild went wild.

"I am going to try and turn back and shelter us against the island!" Lafayette cried, squinting through the sheets of rain and gripping tightly onto the wheel as he tried to keep the schooner steady against the waves.

"Gil, we're on the far side, we'll just be crushed against the cliff if we don't hit the reef first!!" John called back through clenched teeth, wrestling with the wind for control of the sails.

"We have to try!"

The Frenchman spun the wheel around to bank the ship through the waves and turning it back towards their pristine island, glaring at the wall of slate and the jutting patches of coral through the storm.

They would weather the storm. They had to.

The freckled sailor was still fighting with the wind. Digging his heels into the slick deck of the schooner as he pulled back on the rope, taking what control he could and giving none of it back. Just when he had begun to win his feet slipped out from underneath him and he let go of the rope to catch himself, leaving the sail to whip around in the wild winds.

**"JOHN!!"**

Lafayette could feel his voice crack with the thunder above as the boon came swinging around with a horrible creaking sound, striking John in the chest before he could get out of the way and tossed him into the torrent below.

Seeing the freckled sailor fail to resurface within the next few moments the Frenchman leapt into action, diving into the water and leaving the fate of the schooner to the will of the storm to swim down towards his love.

What in reality was only a handful of seconds felt like forever to Lafayette as he tried to reach for John, taking a gasping breath when he caught a break in the waves before swimming down again. It took far too long before he was finally able to take the freckled sailor in his arms and begin his attempts at resurfacing.

Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the pair for a moment and the world above. The Frenchman could make out the silhouettes of debris and the cracked hull of the schooner in the brightness of the moment, grimacing as his heart sank for a moment before he focused himself on survival.

There was only a moment between him pushing John up ahead of him and letting himself try and find a breath where Lafayette was able to get both their heads above water. He slung John over his shoulder as the freckled sailor coughed and sputtered and he did his best to tread water with one arm. The Frenchman felt a glimmer of hope, only for them to be swallowed up by another cascading wave.

He clutched onto his love as tight as they could as they sank deeper into the depths, his body trembling with the effort as he cried out in his heart.

_Please!! I do not care what happens to me, just let me save him! Let me save mon amour, mon etoile, my John!!_

A torrent began to whip around the Frenchman, wincing against the sheer strength of the current as he instinctually sucked in a breath through his teeth. He expected the water to burn his lungs, but instead, it filled him with a new kind of energy that let him push up against the waves so they could both resurface.

He felt John coughing up water over his shoulder and taking in gasping breaths as he managed to navigate through the reef and brace them against a jutting coral structure.

"Gi... G-Gil..." The freckled sailor whimpered as he gasped for air, barely able to find the strength needed to fill his lungs with air.

"Hush, mon amour... Just hang on, I will not let anything else hurt you." Lafayette reassured with a kiss to his love's forehead before he pushed off from the rock and continued onwards.

The storm made the journey back to the mainland long and arduous, but with the desperate need to keep John safe filling his heart Lafayette managed to make it to the rocky beach by the harbour just after sunset.

Lafayette was panting as he crawled up out of the water, laying an unconscious but breathing John on the pebbly ground before he collapsed beside him, smiling.

"We've made it... The gods must have been watching over us because we're safe. John, you're safe..." He whispered even though the freckled sailor was unable to share in his joy.

The Frenchman began to shift so he could sit up and stand so he could carry John to an inn where they could stay the night, but his legs felt strained by the movement. He looked down at himself with a frown, only to gasp at the sight he was met with, "Mon Dieu..."

Lafayette no longer had legs, but instead had been endowed with a long fishtail to replace his lower limbs. It would have been beautiful if it were not for the heavy meaning it carried.

"John... John, mon amour, I am so sorry. I cannot go any farther, I-I must leave you," He murmured quietly, placing a hand on the freckled sailor's cheek before he begins to slide back into the water, placing a hand on his heart and feeling the shape of the golden locket that had somehow managed to survive the journey, "But I will never, ever forget you... I will watch your travels, guide your ships, and always make sure that you are safe from Poseidon's wrath."

Tears were falling from Lafayette's eyes, mixing with the waves lapping at the shore as he pressed a final kiss to John's lips before he turned to swim away.

* * *

*~*~*~*~*~*

"With nowhere else to go, I came back to the island, found this cave among the cliffs and salvaged what I could to make this place into a home..." Lafayette murmured, his words barely audible as he laced his webbed fingers with John's and took in a deep breath to calm himself, "Of course, it never felt the same when we were together and we had our ship... Oh, you loved that schooner so much. I wish I could have found the pieces with the name, maybe then-"

"The Liberty..."

"... John?" The merman asked quietly, holding onto the young sailor's hands tighter. He nodded for him to continue, eyes shining with hope.

"We called her Liberty because with our own boat out on the water we were free... You wrote the name on the side, though, and you just had to make sure it was written in French." John laughed quietly at the memory as he finished speaking, trailing off again.

A thick, hopeful silence fell over the pair. Lafayette didn't dare speak as he felt John's hands begin to shake in his as it all came back to him in a crashing cascade that spilled over in the form of tears dripping down his face.

"G-Gil..." He whispered before tackling the merman into a hug, squeezing him as tight as he could as he buried his face into the crook of his neck, "Gil! I missed you so much, it's been so long!"

Lafayette was happy to accept John into his arms, even if he got knocked back onto the rock from the sheer force of the young sailor leaping into his hold, "It is okay, mon amour... You are here now, that's all that matters. I missed you too."

They stayed like that for a while, John clinging onto the merman as tightly as he could to make up for all their lost time as Lafayette cradled his head and murmuring sweet nothings into his ear.

Finally, the young sailor lifted his head to wipe some of the tears from his eyes as he looked up at his lost love, "What do we do now, Gil?"

"What do you mean, mon etoile?"

"I remember now, but I'm still human, and you're still... Not." John clarified quietly, his gaze following along Lafayette's tail and then dropping to his own legs, "What do we do?"

This made the merman pause, going quiet as he looked down at the young sailor's expression. For a moment his heart sank, but he was determined not to leave the love of his life again, "Non, do not worry yourself, mon amour. If I can become merfolk after being born human than there must be some way to change again."

John nodded a bit in response, not quite convinced. _Don't make me leave, please. I just got him back I can't leave him again..._

"Keep your chin up, John. I'm sure there is a way, we just have to find it." Lafayette reassured with a kiss to the young sailor's forehead and then started giving each of his freckles a little peck until John began to laugh, "There's the smile I love..."

"Oh, shut it... You know I can't resist your kisses." John mutters as he presses his forehead into the merman's chest, holding onto him a little more.

"Perhaps, and I remember your cheeks are ticklish too," Lafayette replied with a little chuckle of his own before trailing off with a quiet hum, rubbing the young sailor's back before he straightened his shoulders, "Stay here for a moment, yes? I just remembered that I have something I want to give you."

John nodded in response as he reluctantly let the merman slip into the water. He leaned forwards on his hands to peer over the edge, watching the way Lafayette's tail flashed with sapphire and gold as he dove down and ducked under a submerged overhang before he returned to the young sailor's side.

"Treasure hunting has become a little hobby of mine... I found these a few months ago, and they reminded me of you." Lafayette explained as he held out his cupped hands.

"Gil, are these... Are these for me?" John asked quietly as he took their pair of braided brass bracelets and the singular looped earring with an amber shard dangling off it.

"Do you like them? I know you were never one for fancy little things like these but I could not resist." The merman replied with a warm smile as he offers to help the young sailor put on the pieces of jewelry.

"I love them, Gil... Thank you so much." John murmured as he allowed Lafayette to clasp the bracelets around his wrists and put in the earring. The young sailor's ears were pierced, though he'd lost most of his earrings over the years of sailing and didn't find saving up for a new pair worth it. Luckily for him, the hole hadn't healed over yet.

The merman sat back for a moment to take in his love's new look, "You are just stunning, mon etoile. Je t'aime." He cooed, wrapping John in his embrace again and cupping his cheek with his tender caress.

"I love you too." John hummed in response, leaning into Lafayette's hand for a moment before he wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

The sudden affection surprised the merman a little, but he was eager to reciprocate the kiss. John pushed forwards, almost crying from how much he missed the feeling of their lips pressed together as the merman held onto his waist and cradled the back of his head. Before the young sailor could think of pulling away Lafayette began to lean back until the pair fell into the pool.

The sudden cold shock made John gasp, starting to sputter before his lost love sealed their lips together again and breathed sweet air into his lungs. John melted as Lafayette, now in his element, tightened his hold on the love of his life and swam down into the underwater enclave and looped his tail under the young sailor's back as they floated over a soft bed of seagrass.

John parted his lips, a few bubbles of air escaping as he let out a small moan. Lafayette didn't pull back from the kiss as he began to run his hands over John's lean form, partly to keep him from drowning and partly to relish in feelings he had nearly forgotten after so long.

In the moment the young sailor may not have been able to speak, but he was still crying out with his heart as he grasped for the ribbon keeping the merman's raven hair tied back in a bun and pushed his chest up against his.

_I can't go through all of this just to have to leave him again... God, please, I love my Lafayette so much, I don't care what happens as long as we can stay together!_

There was a sudden rush in the water that sent a chill shooting down John's spine and knitted his legs together. He thought it was something Lafayette did because when he tossed his head back and took in a gasp the merman rooted a hand in his golden-brown curls and began to kiss along his jaw. The young sailor didn't even realize he had begun to breathe through the water until Lafayette had pulled away to look over his form with widened eyes.

"J-John, look at you...!" The merman gasped, covering his mouth as his eyes shone with happy tears.

John shifted in his hold, bringing his arms back to his sides as he twisted to see what Lafayette was talking about, "Holy shit..."

It made sense why he couldn't open up his legs to wrap around Lafayette's waist to keep him close because he no longer had legs. In their place was a fishtail, the flame-like orange scales practically glowing as rings of brass flashed with each movement. The fan of his fluked was ruffled with layered, wave-like curves, and John looped around on himself so he could brush his fingertips over his new limb.

"You are so beautiful, mon amour! Your scales, they shine just like the sun!" Lafayette cheered as he rushed forwards to wrap John in his arms again, the movement pushing them back against the bed of flowing seagrass, "I knew there had to be a way, I just knew it!"

John couldn't help but laugh as he held the other merman close, matching the swishing rhythm of his tail so their flukes would brush together as he settled into the seagrass, "I don't really know what just happened, but I don't care... I'm staying right here by your side, and nothing is gonna take me away again."

Lafayette smiled as he pressed their foreheads together, closing his eyes as he felt along the fiery length of the freckled merman's tail, "That is wonderful to hear, mon etoile, now..."

He trailed off for a moment to brace his arms on either side of John's head, a smirk spreading across his lips, "We have so much time to make up, why don't we start now?"

**Author's Note:**

> I also have a Tumblr over at @.crescent-quill-writings! There I post all my writings as well as reblogging fanart, fics, gifs, and other things enjoy (mainly Hamilton relataed). Go check it out if you're curious!


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